Letter to the Editor: There is no such thing as Poop Fairies at Truckee-Tahoe

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Here in the Truckee-Tahoe area, we are fortunate to see sublime feats of nature. In the spring, we see red snow flowers, which are a rare and unique organism. In the summer, we see a variety of wildflowers — Meadow Penstemon, Indian Paintbrush, Shooting Stars, Mountain Mule Ears ... and wait, is that the Common Blue Lupine?

No, it’s a small blue bag with dog waste in it. Are you kidding me? Sadly, no.

This happens all summer long and during winter breaks, so I’ll go out on a limb and say this tremendous faux pas is the act of seemingly well-meaning visitors. I would like to give the perpetrators the benefit of the doubt — maybe they have every intention of picking up their dog’s waste on the return trip of their hike, but I’ve seen these odiferous, sun-baked blue bags on the streets and trails around Homewood, 64 Acres area trails, and even on the Rim Trail.

I do my best to pick trash I find in my path, but I can assure I or no one else is going to pick this nastiness up and carry it to the proper receptacle after it’s been in the sun for a day or two. It’s the height of rudeness and entitlement to think otherwise.

If you’re not going to carry the dog poop with you, then don’t bag it. Train your dog to go off the trail. This is arguably not a good solution either, but it’s better than compounding the situation by leaving dog waste and plastic trash in the woods.

Trust me, you’re not doing anyone any favors by bagging it and leaving it on the side of the trail. There is no such thing as Poop Fairies who patrol the area, picking up your animal companion’s doings.